Forgive the recycled image. I just really like that shot of old Han Ziwen positively ecstatic at having nabbed the first legal iPad in China. It really seems to capture a sense of (arguably overzealous) enthusiasm for Apple products in that country (not that the images of folks lined up around the block for the launch of every new
Apple product paint our own country in a much better light). In case the picture doesn’t drive the point home, the numbers should.
By Saturday’s official launch of the iPhone 4, Unicom–the only telecom company carrying the new handset in that country–had received more than 200,000 pre-orders. It took Unicom nearly six weeks to sell half that number when the 3GS launched in that country a year ago.
Unicom and Apple were unable to meet the pre-order demand for the phone. According to Unicom, only 40,000 went home with the handset on Saturday. According to Apple, more phones will be available soon.
Apple is currently the fifth largest sell phone manufacturer in China, with 7.1 percent of the market–well behind first place Nokia, which currently has 26.7 percent. But how many people are sporting homemade Nokia superfan t-shirts in that country?